The present disclosure relates generally to well drilling operations and, more particularly, to sleeve excitation for ranging measurements using electrode sources.
Hydrocarbons, such as oil and gas, are commonly obtained from subterranean formations that may be located onshore or offshore. The development of subterranean operations and the processes involved in removing hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation are complex. Typically, subterranean operations involve a number of different steps such as, for example, drilling a wellbore at a desired well site, treating the wellbore to optimize production of hydrocarbons, and performing the necessary steps to produce and process the hydrocarbons from the subterranean formation.
Ranging tools are used to determine the position, direction and orientation of a conductive pipe (for example, a metallic casing) for a variety of applications. In certain instances, such as in a blowout, it may be necessary to intersect a first well, called a target well, with a second well, called a relief well. The second well may be drilled for the purpose of intersecting the target well, for example, to relieve pressure from a blowout well. In certain instances, such as a crowded oil field, it may be necessary to identify the location of multiple wells to avoid collision incidents. In certain instances, a ranging tool is used to drill a parallel well to an existing well, for example, in steam assist gravity drainage (SAGD) well structures. In certain instances, a ranging tool is used to track an underground drilling path using a current injected metallic pipe over the ground as a reference. Traditional electrode sources, for example, for a mandrel, require insulating gap subs in ranging tool designs to prevent the source and return electrodes from effectively being shorted. It can be difficult to maintain structural integrity and reliability of the ranging tool due to these insulating gap subs.
While embodiments of this disclosure have been depicted and described and are defined by reference to exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, such references do not imply a limitation on the disclosure, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The subject matter disclosed is capable of considerable modification, alteration, and equivalents in form and function, as will occur to those skilled in the pertinent art and having the benefit of this disclosure. The depicted and described embodiments of this disclosure are examples only, and not exhaustive of the scope of the disclosure.